Improvement in portable burglar-alarms



1. PENNEPAGKER Portable Burglar-Alarms.

No. 143,379. Patented'September30,1873.

j/w aeg jaw/@252" UNITED STA'rEs PATENT Qrrron JOSEPH PE NEPAOKER, on PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN PORTABLE BURGLAR-ALARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 143,379, dated September 30, 1873 application filed January 8, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPH PENNEPAOKER, of the city and county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Burglar -Alarms, of which the following is a specification:

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and effective portable burglar-alarm, which may be readily applied without defacing or injuring the door or its framing. My improvement consists of an ordinary bell, to be clamped to the jamb of the door, the clapper of whichis carried by a spring, which, when the alarm is set, is held in a-state of tension, and in such a position with reference to the door that, in the attempt to open it, the springclapper will -be released and strike the bell.

The clamping device is made adjustable, to adapt it to jambs of varying Width; and the spring-clapper and its detent are arranged to turn on a pivot, for the purpose of permitting of such'a disposition thereof that the alarm may remain attached to the door Without interfering with the swinging of the latter.

Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved burglar-alarm. Fig. 2 is asectional View.

' The same letters of reference are employed in both figures to designate identical parts. The bell A is supported upon the bolt a,

" which projects laterally fi'om one end of the bar B, and is screw threaded to receive a thumb-nut, a. At the other end the bar B terminates in a laterally-proj ecting tongue, B, which forms that jaw of the clamp which enters between the door and the jamb, it being made thin to that end. The other jaw, O, of the clamp is adjustably connected to the slotted bar 0. It is operated by the screw D, and guided, also, by its narrow tongue 0 movin g in the slot 0 of the bar. The screw D works in the nut D upon the end of bar 0, and turns independently of the jaw 0, though permanently attached thereto. The .bar 0 is, by means of its slot 0, placed over the bolt a, between the bell and the bar B; and, after the clamp has been adjusted, by sliding the bar 0 in or out, to the Width of the jamb of the door to which the alarm is to be applied, the nut to is tightened to firmly clamp together the bell and the bars B and G. Thebolt a also carries, be-

tween the bell and the bar B, another bar, E,

which is made of suitable width, for a portion of its length, for the proper attachment of the fast end of the C-spring F, the flee end of which carries the hammer or clapper G. From the point of attachment of the spring outward the bar E has the form of a thin stem, which moves along near the edge of the spring, and is provided with a fixed stud, e, for holding the spring when the alarm is set. Thus hooked up, that part of the spring between its fast end and the detente curves backward beyond the plane of the bar E one-half of an inch, more or less; and a notch, f, is cut in this portion of the spring in the edge adjacent to the stem, and slightly in advance of the detent 0, so that a slight pressure upon the back of this part of the spring will release it from said detent. The spring is so arranged with relation to the bell that, on being thus suddenly re leased, it will cause the clapperG to strike the bell.

In applying the alarm, the clamp is firmly secured to the jamb by screwing up the movable jaw O. The bar E is extended to reach some distance across the face of the door, about one-half of an inch removed from its surface.

The spring is then hooked upon the detent c, i

which brings its back in contact with the door. Any attempt to open the door will inevitably releasethe spring-clapper, and sound the alarm.

The bar E, with its spring-clapper, may be turned up or down, according as the alarm is applied to a right-handed or to a left-handed door, into such a position that, while the springclapper, when hooked up, will still be in the path of the door, and be operated thereby, yet the bar E will not interfere with the swinging of the door.

Instead of one sliding bar there may be several such embodied in the construction of the clamps. The other details of constructionmay also be varied in many ways without departing from the principle of my invention as hereinbefore set forth.

I willmention that, by aslight modification of the other parts, a gravitating-clapper might be substituted for a spring-clapper.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. The combination, with the bell A, of the detent E, extending some distance across the door when the alarm is applied, and the spring clapper F G, the spring F of which, when hooked upon the detent, bears against the door, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination of a bell, A, the adjustable clamp, composed of the bar 13 B, bolt and nut a a, slotted bar 0 a, movable jaw G, and screw and nut D D, the bar E provided with detent e and the spring clapper F G, a notch being cut in the edge of the spring at f, all substantially as specified.

3. In a burglar-alarm, substantially such asdescribed, the spring-clapper and detent, when made adjustable, as specified, so that they may be swung around out of the path of the door.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH PENNEPAGKER. Witnesses:

GEORGE S. CASH, J AS. W. PENNEPACKER. 

